Emiya Shirou: Ace Attorney
by aciakatura
Summary: After finishing high school, Emiya Shirou pursues his dream of becoming a Hero of Justice...in the court of law! Note: there will be major differences from canon that will hopefully be adequately explained. Turnabout Wakame (complete). Turnabout Recreants (coming...later).
1. 1 - Prologue

_The First Turnabout/Turnabout Wakame_

 **Wednesday 8th September, 7:18pm**

"Come on. First, a word from our new lawyer," Fuji-nee said, and slapped me on the shoulder.

We were sitting around the table in the living room. Plates that were once full of carefully crafted food now lay messily deconstructed. Four pairs of eyes were fixed on me, anticipating my words.

Even if I was getting accustomed to speaking in front of lots of people lately, it was still fazing to make a speech on the fly. I cleared my throat a few times in attempt to buy time.

"Well, uh huh, um, thank you everyone for being with me today," I said and hoped it didn't sound too cheesy. "Thank you all for the support and encouragement throughout the years." Uhh, what else do people usually say in times like these? "I guess, I look forward to whatever the future holds."

"O-kay!" Fuji-nee smacked her hand on the table and stood, raising her glass. We all joined her with our own glass of liquor. Well, Illya had juice; Fuji-nee wasn't that irresponsible an adult.

"KANPAI!"

"Congratulations, Shirou! Kiritsugu is sure to be smiling in heaven right now."

"Great work. I wish you all the best for your career, Shirou."

"Congratulations, Senpai! Yes, all the best for your career!"

"You know, you don't need to keep calling me Senpai, Sakura. I mean, we're no longer-"

"Congratulations, Onii-chan! You're amazing!"

Illya pounced on me and wrapped herself around my waist. I barely managed to set my glass down before being forcibly dragged to the ground. The others giggled at my predicament.

 _Oof_. Illya's enthusiasm, while appreciated, could be too much at times. Well, it was still nice that this part of her hadn't changed at all.

.

Now that dinner was over, we just sat around chatting. (Except Saber, who seemed to be desperate not to leave any leftovers.) The conversation was rather focused on one person, however.

"Fujimura-san, isn't it time you thought about marriage?" Sakura said. "This year you turned-"

"RAAHH! Of course I've thought about marriage. It's not easy, though. Not easy, I tell you! I swear I've been putting effort into my image, not that it's helped."

It was true. Fuji-nee now used makeup and wore her hair in a bob. It...felt kind of strange, honestly. I couldn't get used to it.

"Even so, if you don't work on your personality, I think any potential guys are going to be scared off," I laughed. "Or you will need to find someone who suits your personality."

"Yeah." Illya gave a devilish grin. "The Taiga needs to find a proper tiger to get married to."

Fuji-nee looked about ready to cry. "Tch. All you ganging up on poor me. Just because I'm not that young anymore…Hey! What about Saber? I may still be teaching but she's still leech-"

A stern gaze from Saber quickly shut her up.

"Uh, how about Sakura? ...Um, um, why, won't you be the next to graduate?"

"Y-yes. I'll be finishing nursing next year…"

"Come on, tell me about what your plans are after that." Fuji-nee's expression was rather triumphant, having successfully put the spotlight on someone else.

"Well, I'll probably be a registered nurse." Sakura scratched her cheek, deep in thought. "I guess I'll be offered a place, I mean, there's a shortage at the moment. Maybe at a school?"

"Let's get you a place at Homurahara! I'll convince the staff to finally fire that old-"

"No! Fujimura-san! You can't-"

I took a sip of my drink. Sakura had really matured in the time I was gone. She had become more confident and outspoken, and her household skills had also improved. She definitely outdid herself tonight with dinner. Now that she was almost finished with her nursing degree, she'll also know how to take care of all kinds of people.

I let my thoughts slip out. "Man, whoever Sakura's future family is will surely be glad to have her."

"Wha-what? Senpai?"

Sakura turned her face away suddenly. Fuji-nee stared at me with a funny grin. Was what I said really that weird?

.

It had been five years since I went to study at Osaka University. After high school, I decided to pursue my goal of becoming a lawyer. It was a lot of hard work, but I finally completed my law degree and earned my attorney's badge. That means I was now qualified to act as a defense lawyer. It wasn't the superhero I had envisioned when I was a kid, but this was a definite step toward being able to help people in need.

Now that I'm back, it's nice that we could still eat and talk and laugh together like the old times. I must sound like an old man for thinking this sort of thing, but it was a kind of familiarity I missed.

.

We tidied up the table and Saber volunteered to wash the dishes. I eyed Fuji-nee as she hovered her hand over the bottle she'd brought, but she thought better of it. A teacher shouldn't be drinking too much on a weeknight anyway. Sakura gathered her things and prepared to leave.

"Hey Sakura," I called to her. "Allow me to walk you home."

"Senpai? No, there's no need." She smiled demurely. "I'll be fine by myself."

"No, I insist. Think of it as thanks for the excellent meal tonight."

"Alright." She giggled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

.

The warm evenings were slowly but surely getting cooler. We walked along the dark suburban streets, chatting about our week at first but in the end we were just strolling in the comfortable silence of each other's presence.

It's been quite a while since I've walked these streets. The layout of the town was coming back to me. Here, we used to turn to walk to school, and over there was the road toward Tohsaka's house...come to think of it, I haven't heard from her since she left to study in London. Oh well, there was only so much catching up I could do at once.

.

Suddenly, Sakura stopped. She tilted her head.

"Hm? What's going on?" she said.

I perked up. Was there something she noticed?

.

Sure enough, when we turned the corner, there was a commotion on the street. A police car was parked outside the Matou residence, lights flashing but siren turned off as to not disturb the neighbourhood. There was a familiar face at the gate.

"Oi, it's Emiya-kun! I haven't seen you around in forever." Lancer was busy scribbling in a notebook. He was wearing a trench coat and looked pretty good in it. "Sorry kids, but I'm rather busy right now. This area is off limits."

Sakura was frantic. "Excuse me, but I live here," she said. "Can you please explain what happened? Is everyone okay?"

"Oh, right. You're that kid's sister." Lancer made a worried expression and poked his pen into his chin. "I hate to be the one to break this to you," he said, lowering his voice.

Sakura gripped my arm tightly.

"There's been a murder."

* * *

Hi there, this is my first attempt at writing fanfic like ever. Well, rather, not writing solely in my head. I think I'm surprised there isn't more fan content with Shirou as a lawyer since that was his original career path (though it was only mentioned once in HA so). There's going to be a differences from canon for the sake of the setting, but more on that later. Please tell me I didn't accidentally plagiarise the description of this story. What does this website have against having double spacing after paragraphs.


	2. 2 - Day 1: Morning

_There is nothing left._

 **...**

 _That day, everything was taken away._

 _(Hah.)_

 _(Hah.)_

 _It's hot._

 _It's so hot._

 _(Hah.)_

 _Only the ash and rubble is left now._

 _(Hah.)_

 _There is nothing else._

 _I am nothing._

 _(It hurts to walk._

 _It hurts to breathe.)_

 _(hah)_

 _My own self is being burned away_

 _burning_

 _burning_

 _(burning)_

 _flames burning_

 _burn_

 _burn_

 _burn..._

 **.**

"I'm so thirsty."

That was my first thought upon waking up from that nightmare. My mind registered that I was safely in my futon and not in the middle of a terrible fire but my heart kept drumming in my chest regardless.

Perhaps it was my return to my hometown, as well as the sight of the police car last night, that had triggered the dream, or else it had been a long since I was painfully forced to recall that memory.

I forced myself up and headed to the kitchen for a drink. It was very chilly; even with a jacket on I desperately hugged my sides for warmth. I snuck along the dark hallway, a thief in my own house.

 **.**

I found out six years ago that the fire was a result of a conflict in Fuyuki. The Holy Grail War, a battle between seven magi and their Servants, Heroic Spirits summoned from the past. In order to manifest a device capable of granting any wish, the ritual was performed with a potential for massive destruction.

Or at least it wasn't the case anymore.

After I had unwittingly gotten myself involved in the Fifth Grail War with my barely existent magical circuits, Rin had been there to guide me. She explained that, after the Second Grail War had ended in a large amount of bloodshed, rules were put into place, to protect both the participants and the general public.

Firstly, fights were held as duels between two Servants until one was defeated; other Servants could not intervene and killing of Masters or outsiders was strictly forbidden. (The Master of Assassin was obviously greatly disadvantaged since their entire strategy involved killing the Master.)

Secondly, the existence of magic had to be concealed from the public, so these duels could only take place in remote areas or at night.

For this, a representative from the Church was brought in as a mediator. He enforced the rules, and severe punishments were given to these who chose to break them.

During the Fifth War, it turned out that the Servant Caster had cheated by summoning her own Servant, thus qualifying as a Master. The War could not be resolved due to the killing of Masters being not allowed and the mediator at the time, Kotomine Kirei, suspended the War.

And so, the War ended without any major conflict. A few of the Servants chose revealed their identity but others preferred to remain unknown. Since they all remained from their summoning, it has made life in this town rather...interesting.

 **.**

I got my cup from the drying rack. The hot water dispenser was about half full. Warmth spread throughout my body as I gulped my drink down. I glanced at the clock on the wall. 5:49am, a bit too early to begin morning chores but I felt like I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep without majorly oversleeping. I put my cup back down and headed to the storehouse.

It had been a long time since I last entered the storehouse, and it looked like nobody else had done so either. Dusty surfaces glowed in the faint moonlight and a musty scent filled the air. I ventured a few steps inside when I hit my toe against a piece of metal on the ground. What the… It was a bike, utterly wrecked. Who even put this here?

Well, I hadn't practised magecraft for a long time, and the bike was a good enough subject. I spoke the two words to put myself into a kind of self hypnosis and form a magical circuit within myself.

"Trace, on."

Strengthening. This was the only thing of magecraft Father taught me before he passed away. By analysing the object's structure and channeling magical energy into it, I could reinforce it and make its entire body more durable. I promised myself to practise regularly but, let's just say that with all the packing and moving lately, I've been slacking.

I touched the bike and concentrated. It was beyond repair, as I guessed from my first glance, even if it was somehow bent back into shape. Still, it was a good exercise.

"Master?"

I turned my head. Saber stood in the doorway, framed by moonlight, gazing upon me with her clear blue eyes. Just like that fateful night the first time we met.

"I thought there was a disturbance," she said. "Are you unable to sleep?"

"I just woke up early," I lied and shook my head. "And well, old habits got the better of me."

"You're dressed quite lightly, aren't you?" Saber cupped my hands in hers and grimaced. "As I thought. Your hands are cold as stone. You need to remember to take care of your health."

"Yes, thank you, Saber," I said. "I guess I'll go back inside now."

The air in here felt rather suffocating. I allowed her to help me up and guide me back to the house.

 **.**

 **Thursday 9th September. 7:40am**

The egg sizzled happily on the frying pan. I nudged the bottom with the spatula and flipped it. Slightly burnt. I left it a bit too long. I could hear Sakura on the phone in the living room.

"...uh huh...Yes, that would be good...No, no, please don't worry about me. I'll get it done soon."

She put the phone back on the receiver and walked into the kitchen. "I excused myself from class today," she said. "The professor was quite lenient, but…" She took a deep breath. "I'm going to see Nii-san at the Detention Center. Is it okay if you come with me? I'd feel a lot better if you could be there."

"Sure." I nodded. It wasn't like I had any plans today anyway.

 **.**

Sakura had stayed over last night after hearing the news from Lancer; I couldn't leave her to sleep in the same place as a dead body, after all. The victim turned out to be a foreign woman, the identity of whom was unfamiliar to both of us. It was slightly relieving to find out that one that was killed wasn't Shinji or anyone else living there, but what we found out next absolutely shocked us.

Shinji was accused of murder.

I didn't believe my ears at first. Shinji, a murderer? My high school friend? Surely it couldn't be. Hopefully our visit today would allow us to find out the truth from him.

 **.**

"Oh, come to think of it, I don't I've seen Rider at all. I thought she'd be at dinner last night."

"Rider?" Sakura's mouth twitched. "Why are you asking about Rider?"

"I was just wondering because she usually accompanies you," I said. "I mean, I'm not trying to suspect anyone already."

"Oh. No, no." Sakura laughed flatly. "Rider was working late last night. She asked for - I mean, her boss asked her to stay behind to move some things. She sends her apologies."

"Ah. Okay." Her response seemed rather strange. Could something be up? I wondered but I didn't express it out loud.

 **.**

 **Thursday 9th September, 9:12am**

The Detention Center was a twenty minute bus ride from my house. After a security check, we were led to the Visitor's Room where Shinji was already waiting. He looked a giant mess, hair unruly and eyebags dark. Was one night's stay here really that taxing?

Upon seeing us, he started to whine.

"Sakuraaa! Shirou!" he cried. "It's over, it's all over! You've got to help me! I'm going to be locked away for life!"

"Shinji, are you feeling okay?" Sakura started. "We came over as-"

"I've still got so much to live for! I don't want to die! Why is this happening to me?"

"Shinji, it's alright," I said. "We're here now. Could you first-"

"I swear I didn't do it! Nobody believes me! No, it's hopeless... Please tell me I'm not a hopeless case! Wahhhh!"

Oh boy. Shinji's panic wasn't helping Sakura at all. I needed to make him calm down as quickly as I could. I slammed hands down on the table.

"Shinji. Shut up." He did. "We need you to talk us through this normally. What's the matter?"

"It's okay, Nii-san, we'll believe you," Sakura said, gently offering her support. "What exactly happened yesterday?"

Shinji took a few breaths. It looked like he was finally in a state where he'll talk without breaking up. I pulled out a notebook and started taking notes out of habit.

"The police questioned me about this too, but they keep insisting I confess to their version of events. Which was not true!

"Well, Grandfather asked me to meet a foreign woman yesterday. Said she had business with him. _I_ didn't really want to do, I mean, he usually asks Sakura to greet the guests."

Shinji still thinks he's far above others. Duly noted.

"I'd never seen this woman before. I spoke, what, two words to her? Then I invited her inside and went to make her some tea, and next thing I know, she's lying on the ground bleeding."

"That's strange," Sakura said. "I didn't think Nii-san has ever made tea for any-"

"She asked for a drink! Okay?! I know it, even you believe I killed her. It's completely hopeless…...Hey, you, prison guard! Don't you snicker at me!"

Shinji was crying again. Sakura gave me a worried glance. At that moment, I had a strong feeling of what I must do.

"I'll defend you."

"...my life is over...huh?"

"I believe you. I'll definitely prove you innocent."

Shinji's eyes lit up. "Really? You'd do it for me?" He wiped his nose on his sleeve. Man, was he a sorry sight at the moment. "I'm going to owe you one...no, is there even a chance? The trial is tomorrow morning and the evidence is all piled against me...Uwah! Don't let me die!"

The guard walked over and clapped a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Well, visiting time is over. I'll be escorting you back to your holding cell now."

We were ushered out of the room too. I gave Shinji a reassuring smile as we left and he smiled back weakly.

 **.**

We made our way back to the main entrance. Through the sliding doors, I could see a light rain had started to fall.

"Geez, now I'm having second thoughts," I said. "Maybe representing Shinji isn't such a good idea."

"What's the problem?" Sakura asked.

"This will basically be my first trial ever," I said. "I have the knowledge but not the practical experience. I-I'm not even sure if I'll be properly prepared. Even if I told him that I will prove him innocent, I don't know if I'll be able to do it."

"Yes, I think so too. If we let another lawyer defend him, then..."

The disheartened tone of her voice caused a strong feeling of conviction to rise up in me. No, this was wrong. What was I giving up for? "You know what? Another lawyer wouldn't have the same faith in him as we would," I said. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'll find a way to prove your brother innocent."

"Huh?" I guessed the look on her face was delighted surprise. "Um, you don't have to do this for me, I mean, you don't need to worry about me."

"No, this isn't just because I'm concerned for you. I absolutely won't allow Shinji to be falsely accused. In fact, I refuse to give up until his name is cleared."

"That's...nice, Senpai."

Sakura didn't sound convinced. I gave her a pat on the shoulder to let her know that I would be there for her. Many people may say it's stupid, but the one thing Emiya Shirou is unable to do is leave alone someone who was in need. With a renewed vigor, I made a promise in my heart that I would prove Shinji innocent no matter what.


	3. 3 - Day 1: Investigations

"I wanted to be a hero of justice when I was a child."

That night, we were sitting outside watching the night sky, just me and my dad. It was strange, the one who had saved me and who had defended many others had a tone of deep regret in his voice.

I was absolutely shocked. "What do you mean?" I said. "You told me you helped a lot of people as a lawyer! Was that not good enough?"

Back then, I was young and would simply say whatever came to mind. Dad just laughed my statement off.

"Yes, I did help a lot of people," he said, "but with that, there's still the desire to see more people saved. There are people dying from diseases, people dying from poverty, people dying from wars. What I achieved as a defence lawyer was very limited."

I scowled. It was much further than I had ever considered. As a child, you don't have a clear view of the world at large. I didn't understand, but I took it as the purpose of my life anyway.

"...I'll do it."

Kiritsugu smiled and, still facing the bright moon, closed his eyes, as if seeing something beyond.

"I'll inherit your dream."

"Yes, I'm relieved," he said.

If I had only realised what his early retirement and decreased activity had meant, maybe I would have done more to comfort him in his last days. But at that moment, gazing upon his serene face, I felt like his heart was completely at ease.

.

 **Thursday 9th September, 10:08am**

Anyway, I was just recalling irrelevant things right now.

Sakura was required to stay behind for questioning. I farewelled her and made my way back home. I sincerely hoped the whole ordeal wasn't putting too much strain on her. The rain had stopped in the meantime.

I expected Saber to greet me at the front door, but there was someone entirely different. Someone with a mischievous grin and boundless energy.

"Oni-chan! You're back!" Illya cried and hopped about in the entryway. "Are you going to investigate now? Can I be your assistant? It'll just be like when Mama was Papa's assistant!"

A downcast Saber poked her head around the corner. "Sorry, Master. She was rather insistent in pressing me for information, so I told her all I knew." She retreated as quickly as she appeared. Was that a smudge of chocolate on her chin?

"Look, Illya," I said. "Just because I'm allowed to defend somebody now, doesn't mean I'm automatically going to take every case that comes up."

"But you did, didn't you?"

I sighed. She knew me too well. "Yes," I admitted.

"Haha! I was right!" Illya waved her arms about. "Come on, what are you waiting for? Let's take a look at the crime scene!"

.

 **Thursday 9th September, 10:19am**

I was outside the Matou mansion for the second time since I'd gotten back to Fuyuki. The door was wide open. There was a single police car parked outside. Perhaps investigations were still taking place?

"Illya, are you sure you want to come inside with me?" I asked, concerned. "I don't know if you'll be able to handle the sight of the crime scene."

"Don't you remember? I'm a pretty powerful magus," she said. "I didn't become this way without being exposed to death, you know."

Fair point. As an amateur magus, I couldn't begin to imagine what kind of training she had gone through. I guess there was a reason why Dad didn't want to teach me much magecraft.

There was nobody to greet us when we entered the house. I had only been inside once before, when Shinji invited me over to study, and even that was limited to the living room. According to my notes, the murder took place in the study, but...I evidently took a wrong turn and ended up in the kitchen. There was an elderly man in there, stirring a cup of tea.

"Eh? Who are you, boy?" He studied us with his beady eyes. Illya clung to my jacket and glared at him. "I thought the police were told to stay out of the rest of the house."

I flashed my attorney's badge and made a shallow bow. "I'm an attorney, Emiya Shirou. Nice to meet you, Ma-Matou-sama, I presume? Apologies for intruding on your personal dwelling, I was just coming to take a look at the crime scene."

The person who I guessed was Shinji and Sakura's grandfather gave me a friendly smile. At least I think it was meant to be a friendly smile.

"You've gone the wrong way, boy," he said and extended a bony finger. "The tape and the chalk and the bloodstains are on the other side of the hallway. Now get out of my sight."

I hastily spoke a few words of gratitude and dragged Illya off with me.

.

Leaving the kitchen, the study was quite easy to find, being directly at the end of the hallway. A woman with a head of pink was standing inside.

"Lancer? Are you back already?" She turned around. It was Bazett, a police officer and another participant of the Fifth War who had decided to stay around in this town. I noticed her uniform had been tailored to take account of her missing arm. "What? Civilians aren't allowed to come in here! Where did the guy watching the front door go?"

"We're not normal civilians!" Illya protested. "We're investiga-"

I put my hand on Illya's shoulder to stop her and showed my attorney's badge again. "Excuse us. It's Shirou, I'm the lawyer who will be acting on behalf of the defendant. I'm here to take a look at the crime scene. Don't worry, I won't try to interfere with it in any way."

"And I'm his assistant!" Illya added proudly.

"You're an attorney now? Well, congratulations. Goodness, how time flies." Bazett still looked like she regarded us with suspicion, but she was clearly no longer on edge. She sighed. "The sooner this is over, the sooner I can get back to that counterfeiting case. Well, I was assigned to guard the crime scene today. You can take a gander at the room. Just know that I'll be keeping a keen eye on you two."

"Alright then, time to...study the study. I'll be sure to take a proper gander," I said and chuckled quietly at myself. Nobody seemed to realise that I'd just made a joke.

I looked around the room. A major area was sectioned off by yellow tape, leaving us only the entrance of the room to stand and observe. It was a rather small room. A desk was placed right in front of large window, which looked out to the garden. Shelves lined the right wall, filled with books which had clearly not been touched in a long time, judging by the amount of dust on their covers. I turned my attention to the most important feature on the floor. There was a chalk outline on the ground as well as copious amounts of blood. A few books also lay scattered about, I guessed as result of a struggle between the victim and the murderer.

When I took out my phone to take a picture, I received interested glances from Bazett and Illya.

"Wow, is that a phone?" Bazett asked in amazement. "That thing can take such clear photos. And you just need to touch the screen to make it work?"

"Yes," I answered. "Don't tell me you're so old fashioned that you don't have your own."

"Wha-" Bazett's mouth hung open. "Hey! Not all magi are incredibly old fashioned. I just have an older phone, that's all. Because...I can't afford newer ones right now, that why!"

Illya tried to swipe my phone from my hands. "I want to see, I want to see!" she cried.

I shook my head. "Let me finish my business first, Illya. I'll let you play on it later." It was a low end smartphone, anyway, which I only used for phone calls, messaging and photos. She'll probably get bored after finding out I haven't installed any games.

"So Lancer is working with the police now, huh?" I said to Bazett. "That's quite a step up from fish and flower mongering."

"Ah, well, about that," Bazett said, "he's only a detective part time. He still holds his numerous other jobs. All part time, that is."

"Has he gone to his other job now? I imagine it would be hard to concentrate on other work when you've just been working on murder case."

"No, he's gone to the morgue. The autopsy report should be out now, so he'll need to read over it, since he's testifying tomorrow."

I wasn't sure she was allowed to divulge that sort of information, but I wasn't about to complain.

"That's strange," Illya said, leaning on the door. "The door won't open the whole way."

"What's that?" As she pushed it away from the wall, we found a red object, shaped like a 'T'. I had no clue what it was used for. I took picture of it too.

"Huh. It's a black key," Bazett said. "I never would have thought I'd see one here. It might bear some relevance to the case."

"Black key?" Illya asked and grimaced. "What's that?"

I looked curiously at Bazett as well. This name was new to me.

"It's a tool used by Executors of the Church," she explained. "To use it, you insert magical energy, and then a blade will materialise. It looks like a sword, but it's generally used for throwing rather than slashing."

Talk about new ways to sneak weaponry through security. "Wow. Have you used one of these before?"

She shook her head. "No, rather I've fought against and alongside Executors before, back when I was in a more suitable shape. But since _that_ incident…"

Uh oh. Bazett wasn't fun to hang around when she got into this mood. It was a strange incident, really: when she had first arrived in Fuyuki, something had attacked her and chopped off her arm, most likely in attempt to steal her Command Spells along with it. And it would have been successful, if she hadn't been wearing gloves at the time and the attacker hadn't made an unlucky guess as to which arm they should have been aiming for. It still left her injured and partially disabled.

Bazett was absentmindedly rubbing her right side. "Geez, what kind of Master can't even properly provide for her own Servant…" she muttered under her breath.

It'd probably be better to leave her alone now. Time for us to make our departure. "Hey Illya, I think I've gathered all I can from the crime scene," I said. "Why don't we head out?"

I urged her and we left the house. I hoped the police wouldn't get in trouble with Shinji's grandfather because of me.

.

 **Thursday 9th September, 12:46pm**

After lunch, we headed to the Detention Center. Just as we entered the building, I heard a voice cry out to me.

"Senpai!"

Sakura was running down a side corridor. She must have just been released from questioning. I wondered if she'd eaten yet.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Senpai, please don't take this case," she said. "I mean, you've already taken the case, but you don't need to force yourself for my sake. Just...try to get a lighter sentence. I don't want you to be making a huge mistake..."

I shook my head. "Sakura, I've told you already," I said. "I'm not just doing this for you. Father always told me, the most important thing for a defence attorney is to have absolute faith in their client. So, please have faith in my ability to save your brother as well."

"Shirou..." Sakura looked down. She started to say something, but stopped herself. Hopefully, nothing was troubling her too deeply.

.

Sakura needed to get home, so we parted ways. Illya and I were led to the Visitor's Room. Now that I was Shinji's lawyer, I should be able to question him more freely. There were a few particular things I wanted to be clarified on.

Shinji was sitting there sullenly. He looked up as we entered. "You're back...Shirou..."

I sat down facing him and took out my notes.

"Why are we here to see this sorry guy?" Illya said. "Somehow, I feel like there are better places to be."

Shinji sank into his chair.

"Um, Illya, Shinji is the defendant," I said.

"What does he need to defend? He's got nothing important or exceptional."

Shinji sank deeper into his chair.

"...meaning, I'm defending him, as a lawyer. He's been charged with murder."

Illya clapped her hands together. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I never thought you'd be capable of murder! Maybe if someone gave you the confidence and power to do it, but not as you are now..."

"I'm saying I didn't do it!" Shinji cried. "Nobody will believe me! Please believe me, I'm not that kind of person!"

This was not going to be any better than this morning if I didn't control the situation.

"Illya, please keep quiet. Let me handle this." I turned to Shinji. "I promised that I will not fail you in court, but this requires that you cooperate with me first. I want to question you more thoroughly about the events of yesterday."

He nodded. Now that he's calm, what should I ask about first?

.

 **\- What Happened**

\- The Victim

.

"Could you describe fully what happened on the day of the murder?" I said.

Shinji scratched his head. "Uh, well, I got up at about 7. I got dressed and then I went to the bathroom and..."

"...Maybe, omitting anything that is irrelevant to the case."

"Oh. Okay." He paused. "Well, I got home from my part time job around 2. That's when Grandfather told me he had a guest coming to see him about something and ordered me to wait for her outside. I told him to get Sakura to do it, but he said I needed to find her myself if I wanted her to do it. Well, I knew she wouldn't be home until late so there was no point.

"The old geezer didn't even tell me what time this guest was meant to arrive. I was waiting at the gate for ages and still nobody's showed up. I went inside some time before 3 to take care of some personal stuff. Around 4, I happened to look outside and saw a lady standing there alone. I went out and asked her if she was looking for Grandfather, which she answered, yes, she was.

"So I led her inside the house. She kept berating me for being a terrible host who would leave a guest to stand outside aimlessly, even though it wasn't my fault. She wanted a cup of tea, so I left her in the living room while I went to the kitchen. To be honest, I've never had to make tea myself, so I was kind of fumbling around for a while. Then suddenly, I heard a loud scream, so I rushed back to the living room, but she wasn't there. I tried to follow the sound and went into the corridor and saw someone in the study. I ran to the study and that's where I found her bleeding on the ground. I tried to check if she was still breathing but her neck was slit. Then before I know it, I can hear sirens and a bunch of police are arresting me."

I took a moment to absorb the information. To an outsider, it would certainly look like Shinji was the murderer. "Do you have any idea who could have killed her?" I asked.

Shinji shook his head. "I have no idea. I mean, we were just together on the other side of the house and then next she's dead in the study. The only other person in the house would have been Grandfather, but he usually secludes himself in his room or in the basement. Though I did think I saw someone outside..."

Illya tugged my sleeve. "I wonder," she said, "how did she get all the way from the living room to the study?"

This truly was a strange case. I didn't know what to make of it.

Now, what should I ask next?

.

\- What Happened

 **\- The Victim**

\- The Location of the Murder

.

"What were your impressions of the victim?" I asked.

Shinji frowned. "I don't remember much. It was my first and last time seeing her yesterday. I'd guess she was around 30 years old. She gave me the impression of someone from an old fashioned magus family from how she was dressed. And from the way, she didn't even think to call to tell us when she was expecting to arrive, I think I'm right about that."

I nodded. "Could she have had some association with your family before?" I asked. "Surely if she had business with your grandfather, it'd be because she's met with him before."

"I wouldn't know," he replied. "Grandfather is quite secretive and he's always hiding away. Who knows what kinds of people he associates with?"

Well, knowing more about the victim hasn't helped much. What else should I ask him about?

.

\- What Happened

\- The Victim

 **\- The Location of the Murder**

.

"Shinji, you told me that you took her to the living room, yet you found her body in the study," I said. "Is that correct?"

He nodded.

"Do you have any clue how she got there? Could she have gone there herself? Or something took her there?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea. I thought she'd stay where I left her."

"What if," Illya interjected, "she was actually a thief and she was trying to steal the secrets of your family's magecraft?"

"Illya! Don't be rude!"

"What? It's possible." Seeing her suggestion so readily dismissed, she pouted.

"Our family's magecraft has waned, anyway," Shinji said. "Grandfather always tells me that, anyway. I don't know why she'd go to the study, if she was indeed looking for that."

.

I didn't have any other questions for Shinji.

"That's it for questioning today," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Well, I won't be going anywhere." He smiled sheepishly.

.

 **Thursday 9th September, 1:33pm**

Next, we went to the Criminal Affairs Department, a tall building nearby the Detention Center. I explained our purpose for visiting and we were led down to the morgue.

The morgue was a startlingly white room. Cold chambers lined one wall of the room and a single body bag sat on the table in the middle. Lancer stood flipping through some papers. He gave us a wave as we entered.

"I guess I'll be seeing you in the trial tomorrow," I said. I was getting used to showing people my attorney's badge. "I believe an autopsy has been completed?"

He nodded. "Boss said we're not meant to be dishing out copies yet, but it won't hurt to let ya have a look at it. Here," he said, handing me a file. "This will be your first trial, eh? It's gonna be tough."

"Er, thanks." I glanced at the file he gave me.

| Autopsy report: Nadejda Bakhlov  
| Time of death: 8th September, 4:00pm-4:20pm  
| Cause of death: blood loss from a knife wound

The name of the victim was written in English for some reason, which I wasn't exactly strong at. I noticed it matched the tag on the body bag. "So, how do you pronounce this name? Na...deja? Ba..."

"Nadejda Bakhlov," he answered. The name slid off his tongue so easily. It certainly didn't sound English. I think I might just call her 'Nadia' and hope nobody notices.

"I hope you're ready for the trial tomorrow," Lancer said. "I'll be testifying about- Hey! Little girl! Get back here!"

"Tch." While we were talking, Illya had made her way to where the body bag was laid out. She scampered back to my side.

"What do you think you were doing over there? Look, I'm gonna be in deep trouble if it turns out I've let someone tamper with the evidence," Lancer growled. "This is a place for serious business, not a playground."

Illya looked up with round eyes. "Ehehe. I'm really sorry, Mister. I was just curious what was inside. I won't do it again."

Lancer smiled. He was clearly won over by her innocence. "Well, alright, I'll forgive you."

He gave her a pat on the head. Wait, why was he treating her like a puppy?

"We take care of scary stuff down here, okay?" he said. "You best be careful if this guy is forcing you to follow him around."

Goodness. If only he knew that she was the one clinging to me all today. I bet he'd get a shock if he knew how old she really was.

.

As we left the building, I told Illya off for her actions.

"Gee, Illya, it doesn't pay to get on the police's bad side," I said. Even if we managed to get out of trouble this time, next time they wouldn't let us off lightly.

"I did discover something interesting, though," she said. "I could tell from just standing near the body that it had traces of the effects of magecraft on it." She grinned. "After all, I'm a brilliant magus."

Magecraft, huh? "That's it!" I exclaimed. "With this, I'm certain that Shinji wasn't the murderer!"

Illya tilted her head. "What? I don't get it."

It didn't matter if she didn't understand for now. I hurried her along, eager to get home to review my notes and prepare for the case tomorrow morning.

* * *

Edit: added a pun.


	4. 4 - Day 2: Trial 1-0

**Friday 10th September, 8:35am**

The day of the trial dawned. I felt quietly uneasy. With the evidence I had found so far, could I really be sure that I'll be successful...no, I can't think like that. I don't believe Shinji was lying, so the only possibility is that a witness was not telling the truth. If I can figure out the inconsistencies in their statement, it will help clear Shinji's name.

Illya accompanied me as I headed to the courtroom. I noticed she was sneaking glances at me.

"Do my clothes look weird on me after all?" I asked. I had adjusted some of Dad's old clothes to fit me better. It was my first time wearing this outfit so I wasn't sure what others thought of it. Saber had also been looking at me strangely this morning.

"No, you look fine," she said, but continued to watch me curiously as we walked.

There was somebody milling around the entrance of the courtroom. It was somebody with tan skin and white hair, a bag slung over his shoulder. This guy...don't tell me he's planning to interfere somehow.

"What are you doing here?" It was difficult to hide the irritance in my voice. He was the kind of person I could never manage to get along with.

Archer turned around. "Huh, what? I'm just here with lunch...oh, it's you."

"I'm here for legitimate business but I don't know why you're here," I said. "Or else, you seem quite suspicious standing out here."

"I should be asking...wait." Archer eyed my lapel. "Oh. _Oh_. Hehe, I see."

Without any further comment, he walked away snickering.

"What was up with that?" Illya asked.

I shrugged. I could never understand that guy.

.

I entered the defendant lobby, where the defence team was allowed to prepare before the trial. Illya went to enter the courtroom with Sakura.

Shinji sat inside already. He looked rather deflated. He held a piece of paper in his hands.

"Well, I'm ready to get locked away," he said. "The prime of my life, all gone."

When did Shinji become such a defeatist...though, to be fair, in his position, anybody would be like that.

"What is that you're holding?" I asked.

"I think the prosecution wants to make a deal with us," he said and handed me the paper.

"Oh, a plea bargain?" I read the paper. So, they agree to reduce the charge to a lesser offense if Shinji pleads guilty and...wait a second. "Pay one million yen? Are they being serious?"

"If we accept, we won't have to worry about the outcome of trial..."

"Shinji, forget this ridiculousness," I said. "Listen, you're not going to pay anything and you won't be pleading guilty. I promise you."

He didn't look like he was confident in my words but he nodded.

.

 **Friday 10th September, 8:53am**

Soon, it was time to head into the courtroom. I made my way to the defence bench. The prosecution bench was unoccupied for the time being. A Caucasian man with a rather shrewd face was in the judge's seat, wearing a powdered wig atop his head. I gave him a nod.

"Good morning, Judge Kay..." I squinted. Why was I encountering so many names written in English? And with such irregular spelling too.

"Emiya Shirou, am I correct?" the judge said. "Your name sounds familiar. Is anyone else in your family in this line of work?"

"Yes, my father, Kiritsugu, was also a lawyer," I answered. "I could only be here today because of him."

"Ah. Kiritsugu. A mightily disagreeable man. I never liked him one bit."

I don't think that put me on the judge's good side. Hopefully this won't affect how he'll treat me in court.

I took a glance around the room. Sakura and Illya were sitting together in the gallery seats. I gave them a wave. The courtroom was fairly large but sparsely populated. In fact, most of the people here was somebody I knew.

For some reason, that one detestable guy had found the time to bring back a bag of popcorn and was munching on them at the back.

"Ahem."

A sudden noise brought my attention back to the front. A young lady with long black wavy hair approached the prosecution bench. She wore a long red coat with a prosecutor's badge pinned to the collar. Her eyes widened as her gaze met mine.

Was that...Rin?

A cattish grin appeared on her face. "Ah, Shirou. What a surprise that we'd meet again like this. This must be the strangest of high school reunions possible. Well, now isn't the time to be nostalgic."

She was right. The prosecution, the defence and the accused were all old classmates. It'd be quite an amusing situation, really, if not for the unfortunate circumstances. Come to think of it, was conflict of interest simply not an issue here?

Rin gave Shinji a sharp glare. "And Shinji. Shinji, Shinji, Shinji," she said. "I knew you would get yourself into trouble sooner or later. It's just like what they used to say: Whenever something stinks, it's usually the Wakame."

Huh? I don't think anybody ever said that?

She didn't give us a chance to reply and instead turned to greet the judge. "Good morning, Lord El-Melloi," she said. "I hope your beautiful wife is doing well."

He smiled. "Yes, Sola-Ui is doing fine. I wish she could visit me some time, though. She's always busy at the Clock Tower these days."

"El-Melloi?" Somebody spoke beside me. "Hasn't he lost that title already?"

I turned around. "Illya? When did you get up here?"

"Oh, I snuck up here while the bailiffs were busying themselves confiscating food." She pursed her lips. "Goodness, you're having it tough on your first trial."

"Tough?"

"I guess you haven't heard," she said, and began her explanation. "Tohsaka became a prosecutor after only two years of studying in London. She's widely praised as a prodigy. She only came back a few months ago to practise here."

Only two years of studying...though I wasn't surprised. She was the top student at school after all. It'd be natural for someone like her to choose a difficult job with a high pay. To think she would be my first opponent in court.

.

In time, the judge banged his gavel. "Quiet! Quiet" he cried. "We are about to begin proceedings."

All chatter in the courtroom quickly ceased. Rin did some last second arrangements on her bench. I adjusted my collar nervously. There was no backing down now.

The judge banged his gavel on the block two more times, I felt rather unnecessarily.

"Magus Court is now in session for the trial of Matou Shinji," he announced.

And that was the moment I realised exactly what mistake I had made.

* * *

Profiles

Emiya Shirou: A newly qualified lawyer, having graduated from Osaka University. Master of Saber in the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Saber: True name – unknown, but is probably a historical figure that has something to do with swords. A Servant summoned in the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Illyasviel von Einzbern: My little sister, not related by blood. Kiritsugu's daughter by birth. Looks 13 years old but is really over 25. Master of Berserker in the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Emiya Kiritsugu: My adoptive father and a former lawyer. I sought to follow in his footsteps to defend the weak and bring justice. Passed away over ten years ago from an unknown illness.

Matou Shinji: My high school friend and the acting Master of Rider in the Fifth Holy Grail War. The current defendant in this case.

Matou Sakura: Shinji's younger sister. The true Master of Rider in the Fifth Holy Grail War. She sometimes comes to my house to help out with chores.

Tohsaka Rin: My high school classmate and Master of Archer in the Fifth Holy Grail War. A prodigy who became a prosecutor after only two years of studying in London.

Archer: True name – unknown. A Servant summoned in the Fifth Holy Grail War. I can't get along with him at all.

Judge Kayneth "El-Melloi" Archibald: A middle aged man who is in charge of proceedings which involve magic.

Lancer: True name – Cu Chulainn. A Servant summoned in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Currently works part time as a detective for the Police Department, among other part time jobs.

Bazett Fraga McRemitz: Master of Lancer in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Formerly a high ranking officer, she was relegated to a junior position after an accident which cost her her right arm.

Nadejda Bakhlov: The victim in this case. Found with her throat slit in the study of the Matou mansion.

.

Court Record

Attorney's badge: The badge that shows I can act as a defence lawyer.

Photo of Crime Scene (on phone) [ElNrdUh]

Photo of Black Key Handle (on phone) [Hu85d5k]

* * *

We are finally ... only just starting the trial! Now, why does FF let you insert links only to delete them when you save? Why? Is it the same problem as trying to enter blank lines? I just want to give handy visuals! Also strike-throughs! Why let you enter it in the initial editor if it doesn't even show up?

Anyway, to view my low effort drawings of the photos in the court record, insert the letters in the square brackets [] behind the imgur url. Like  
imgur dot co m slash [whatever is in here but don't include the brackets]  
And that should work.

Now, obligatory note that any law I've studied is limited to some company, contract and tax law, so rather than lawyers arguing using actual legal terms, it's going to be more evidence that just so happens to convict one of the witnesses. The first case will be pretty straightforward. Hopefully the differences from canon aren't too confusing. Should I make a short explanatory note if there are people confused?

Illya is still alive because I say so.


	5. 5 - Day 2: Trial 1-1

The judge banged his gavel.

"Magus Court is now in session for the trial of Matou Shinji."

Wait, what?

"Magus Court?" I muttered. "He just said Magus Court?"

"Of course he said Magus Court," Illya said softly. "The judge needs to address the courtroom properly."

"Well, uh, is this different to normal court?"

Illya looked at me, bewildered. "Magus Court deals with cases that involve magi, because if there's magic involved, there's a need for secrecy," she said. "Hasn't Papa ever mentioned this?"

Ri-right. "No...see...I was under the impression he practised law normally..."

But there was no more time for questions. Things were already getting started.

Rin gave a slight bow from the opposing stand. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honour," she said.

"The defence is, err..."

I hesitated. Was I really ready? Did I even have enough understanding of magic to be able to present a compelling argument?

"Emiya?" the judge said. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no," I said and cleared my throat. "The defence is ready, Your Honour."

I couldn't afford to be uncertain now. After all, Shinji's fate was in my hands. Knowing how Shinji and Rin got along in high school, I doubt she will go easy on him.

The judge nodded. "Miss Tohsaka, please give the court your opening statement," he said.

"Yes, Your Honour." Rin flipped the pages on her bench. "On Wednesday 8th September, the victim was found dead in the defendant's house, just minutes after she was observed to have entered with him. Two days ago, on the day of the crime, the victim had arrangements with the master of the house. The prosecution has key evidence that he was the one who committed the murder."

"Now, what is the victim's name?"

"The name of the victim in this case is Nadejda Bakhlov," she said. "We were able to ascertain her identity by her passport that was found on her body."

| "Passport" has been submitted to the Court Record  
| The victim's passport, used to identify her. According to this, her country of origin is Bulgaria and she arrived in Fuyuki at noon on 8th September.

Rin's pronunciation was good, as expected of someone who went to study overseas. I looked over the image handed to me. One striking feature about her was that her face was full of moles.

"Nadejda arrived at the Matou residence around 4pm, and the defendant, Shinji, was sent to escort her," she continued. "Then, once inside, her facial imperfections aggravated him and his habitual violence towards women caused him to brutally murder her!"

Shinji hit his fists on the stand. "What? No! That's not true! You're just making baseless accusations!"

Rin shook her head. "Nonsense! I've had testimonies from...associates of yours, that you frequently like to dominate women and tend to lose control around them, resulting in verbal and physical violence." She faced the judge. "Now, the reason for killing the victim should be clear."

"I swear it wasn't me!" Shinji cried. "Someone else must have killed her! I swear I'm innocent!"

Thud! Thud!

"Order! Order in the court!" the judge shouted. "The defendant shall refrain from interrupting the prosecution, unless you wish to be removed your own hearing."

"What?!" Shinji pleaded. "What about my rights?"

"Yes, don't forget your rights," Rin said. "Your right to remain silent, that is. Now, the judge would be more than happy to take your outbursts as a confession of guilt."

"Let us proceed," the judge said. "The prosecution may call your first witness."

"Thank you, Your Honour. The prosecution would like to call the chief officer who was at the scene, Detective Lancer!"

Lancer strode up to the witness's stand. No surprise here, since I already heard he'd be appearing today.

"Nice seeing you here, Shirou!" he said gleefully.

I gave a dry smile. "Yes, um, nice seeing you too."

"Lancer, you shall abstain from any chitchat," Rin said. "State your name and profession to the court."

"Yes!" he said. "You can call me Lancer. My true name...actually, that doesn't matter. I'm working part time as a detective in the homicides department. I'm also waitering part time at Abnenerbe, so if you..."

"That's enough. Detective, please describe for us the details of this murder."

"Yup sure," Lancer said. "At 4:20pm, we received a phone call from a man saying that he had witnessed a murder, so we rushed to the location. When we arrived on the scene, the defendant was kneeling over the victim's body, covered with her blood. The body was found in the study of the Matou mansion. The cause of death was blood loss from being stabbed in the neck, and the murder weapon was determined to be a knife that was found on the floor with the victim's blood and the defendant's fingerprints on it."

| "Autospy Report" has been submitted to the Court Record  
| Autospy report: Nadejda Bakhlov  
| Time of death: 8th September, 4:00pm-4:20pm  
| Cause of death: blood loss from a knife wound

| "Fruit Knife" has been submitted to the Court Record  
| A fruit knife which is presumed to be the murder weapon. Shinji's fingerprints were found on it as well as the victim's blood.

"The defence may now question the witness," the judge said.

The evidence seemed quite straight forward, all pointing to Shinji being the murderer. If I wanted to prove him innocent, I needed to examine everything carefully.

"Detective," I inquired, "how can you be sure Shinji was the one who killed her? Couldn't somebody else have done it and escaped?"

"Like I've said, we have a witness that can attest that he committed the crime. And having a bloody knife right there is pretty darn damning."

"However, you didn't sound so certain about the murder weapon. Why is it you have merely determined it to be the knife?"

"Well, the wound didn't quite match what a typical stab wound would look like," he answered. "But maybe he was just that bad at handling the knife."

I looked over the court record. Hmm. Information I thought would be present was suspiciously missing.

"Detective, has the body been inspected for any effects of magic?" I asked.

"Objection, Your Honour!" A shout came from Rin. She sure was quick on that uptake. "The defence just wants to waste the court's time. This has nothing to do with the case!"

"Objection! This is a murder that took place in a prominent magi family. Of course it is relevant to the case!"

Thud! Thud!

"Objection overruled," the judge said. "The defence's reason is sufficient. Witness, answer the question from the defence."

Lancer nodded. "Yeah, we did find magic on the body," he said. "There was a strong presence of magecraft with the water element throughout the body."

| The Court Record has been updated  
| Autospy report: Nadejda Bakhlov  
| Time of death: 8th September, 4:00pm-4:20pm  
| Cause of death: blood loss from a knife wound, the presence of magic was also found

So it was true, and to a significant degree as well, yet it was conveniently excluded. Could that be Rin's doing? Either way, this will be my victory. All I needed now was to present the evidence which would prove Shinji innocent.

* * *

Court Record

Attorney's badge: The badge that shows I can act as a defence lawyer.

Photo of Crime Scene (on phone) [ElNrdUh]

Photo of Black Key Handle (on phone) [Hu85d5k]

Passport: [yENGSXb] The victim's passport, used to identify her. According to this, her country of origin is Bulgaria and she arrived in Fuyuki at noon on 8th September.

Autospy report: Nadejda Bakhlov  
Time of death: 8th September, 4:00pm-4:20pm  
Cause of death: blood loss from a knife wound, the presence of magic was also found

* * *

Come to think of it, Kirei would have probably worked better as the main prosecutor. Most of the current setup is only for the sake of 1) one scenario that I'm not even planning to do anymore and 2) one lame ass joke that will only make its appearance much much later in the story. Oh well.

Chapters could probably be up quicker if I actually bothered to write. Anyway, dialogue is hard. Scenes which are 90% dialogue are very hard. Which is like almost everything from hereon.


	6. 6 - Day 2: Trial 1-2

"Your Honour!" I said and held up an outstretched finger. "Shinji clearly couldn't have committed the murder!"

"Oh?" The judge scratched a spot under his wig. "Do you have evidence to support your claim?"

"Yes, I do," I said. "After all, you just heard from the detective's own mouth that the body had been affected by magic!"

"And what does this mean for the defendant?"

"The fact is Shinji can't be the murderer, because," and I paused for emphasis, "he has _absolutely no talent in magic!_ "

Shinj's face fell.

The judge stared.

Rin's mouth fell wide open.

A badly muffled laughter echoed from the back of the courtroom.

Illya rubbed her forehead. "Gee, Oni-chan. A magus's pride is a fragile thing. Couldn't you have said that in a gentler way?"

I guess I should apologise to Shinji later. Still, it was necessary to get the point across. If the judge was convinced then...oh no, that smile can't mean anything good.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't be so quick." Rin wagged her finger. "That may certainly be true, but that doesn't prove anything. After all, the murder took place in the Matou residence. Any self respecting magus would have defensive spells set in place against any intruders, so she would have been affected by magic regardless. I guess, as an amateur yourself, you wouldn't be aware of that, now would you?"

Damn, now she's just disparaging me.

"Besides," she continued, "the cause of death was from blood loss and had nothing to do with magic. I suggest the defence review the evidence before making such wild claims."

"That certainly makes sense," the judge said. "Enough of that, let us move on to the next witness. Miss Tohsaka!"

"Yes, Your Honour." She gave a slight bow. "I now call the witness who called the police to the stand: Hayashida Kenji!"

"Now," the judge said, "as this witness has no association with magic, and for the purpose of secrecy, we will hypnotise him afterwards to erase any memory of this court."

Lancer left the stand and a bailiff led a rather scrawny man forward. He wore a pair of brown overalls and had a bit of stubble on his chin.

"Huh?" he said, bewildered. "What was that about magic? What's going-"

"Look into my eyes," the judge said slowly. "You will not find anything strange about the things that are spoken about in this courtroom."

"-on?"

" _Nothing strange_."

I shuddered. To what extent could magus mess with people's minds?

"Witness!" Rin said. "State your name and profession!"

"Huh?" Kenji seemed to still be in a state of stupor. "Where was I?"

"Your name and profession, witness."

He blinked. "Oh. Oh yes," he said. "My name is Hayashida Kenji. My job is, I'm a meter reader."

"Thank you," Rin said. "Now, please testify what you saw on the day of the murder."

"Okay." Kenji scratched his chin. "Well, on Wednesday afternoon, I was going around to get the reading of various houses in the neighbourhood. I got to that particular house at about 4:06pm. When I arrived, I noticed two people – that guy over there, and a woman – entering the house."

"Did you notice anything particular about them?"

"I guess the way the guy walked walking looked a bit...angry to me. But I wasn't about to start poking my nose into other people's business when I was still supposed to be working, so I didn't pay them any more attention.

"So then I headed around the side of the house. The garden was a bit overgrown, so I had difficulty actually reaching the meter. You'd think the last guy would've complained to the owner about it. It was also quite shaded in that part of the garden, so I took out my phone to help me see. I finished my reading and started heading out.

"As I was walking out of the garden, I suddenly heard a loud scream. I rushed back in and ran to where I thought the scream came from and looked inside the window. And wham! That's where I saw that guy standing over the woman's bloody body! Since my phone was on hand, I took a photo of the crime scene at once and then called the police."

"I have a name, you know," Shinji mumbled, not daring to raise his voice any more.

Rin passed a laminated sheet forward. "Here is a printout of the photo he took," she said.

| "Photo #1" has been submitted to the Court Record  
| A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:21pm.

"Now, the prosecution has surely presented sufficient evidence to convince you of the defendant's guilt," Rin said and bowed again. "The court need not waste any more time to decide this case."

The judge nodded. "You're right. I now pronounce the def-"

"Hold on a second!" I slammed my hands down on the bench. "The defence hasn't had a chance to cross examine the witness yet!"

Goodness. What was Rin trying to pull?

"Oh! Yes!" The judge looked rather embarrassed. He banged his gavel. "Defence, you may begin your cross examination."

I steadied myself. There must be a contradiction in there somewhere. I just know it.

"Witness," I said. "You stated that you arrived at the house after 4pm. How did you know what time you arrived?"

"It's simple." Now Kenji was scratching at a spot where his hair was noticeably thinner. "I need to record the time in my logbook whenever I get to a new house."

"And were you certain that it was only those two who entered the house? There was nobody else with them?"

"Yes, it was just the two of them."

From what Shinji said, it felt more likely that a third party had committed the murder and stuck the blame on him. Could the true culprit have been inside already? Or did they enter the house afterwards?

"Now," I asked, "where was this meter located, such that you had to enter their garden?"

"The meter was around the back of the house," he said. "Do you want to know their reading as well?"

"That won't be necessary," I said. Was he even allowed to disclose customer information? "How long does taking the meter reading usually take?"

"Only a couple minutes. But there was so much grass to wade through that I took much longer."

I guess I could only trust him on that. I stopped to think for a minute. Honestly, there wasn't much to question Kenji about. Though he didn't personally see the murder, the evidence presented was very straightforward and there was nothing strange...wait, that's it!

"Witness," I said again, "from the detective's statement earlier, you called the police at 4:20pm, is that not correct?"

He nodded. "Yep. The time of the call's even recorded on my phone."

"Now, you said before calling the police, you first took a photo of the crime scene. Are you completely sure about that?"

"Yep. In fact, I vividly remember that moment. I have no doubt in my memories."

Well, there's such thing as being tricked into remembering things differently to how they actually occurred and I wasn't sure to what extent that hypnotism would affect his memory, but now wasn't the time to bring that up.

"Your Honour," I said. "There is a clear problem in the witness's testimony!"

"What?" The judge's head jolted. "I don't see any problem with what he's said so far."

I guess I need to explain everything in detail to this judge.

"Allow me to show you. Witness, you said that you have absolutely no doubt that you took the photo first before calling the police. However, the time on the photo states that it was taken at 4:21pm, after the phone call was made!"

A frown was quickly forming on Rin's face. Kenji stumbled over his words.

"Ah...well...well, I..."

"Objection!"

The force from slamming her hands on the bench caused Rin's coat to fly up a little.

"This inaccuracy is hardly of consequence! His phone could have simply been fast by one or two minutes!"

"If his phone really was fast, then the time of the phone call would have also been recorded a few minutes later!" I cried. "That does not explain why the photo was taken later!"

It wasn't much, but it was all I had to go on. If I could pick out this inconsistency, surely his testimony will-

Thump! Thump!

The judge set his gavel down again. "Objection sustained," he said.

W-what? No! Come on!

"The prosecution's reasoning is sufficient. Defence, please move on to other questions."

But as much as the courtroom was against me today, fortune would smile on me instead.

"Actually," Kenji said, "I can explain why. I took a different photo before I called the police, but it was quite blurry so I took another one after the phone call. I told you, there's nothing wrong with my memory."

"The prosecution must present all evidence it finds!" I said. "Where is this photo right now?"

Rin was gritting her teeth. "Like he said, the photo was blurry and difficult to make out and would have only added to confusion. It was not necessary when he has a much clearer one available."

"Well, I can show you it," Kenji said. "It's right here."

If phones weren't allowed to be used in this courtroom, then nobody was doing anything to enforce that rule. Kenji grabbed his phone from his pocket and showed a picture to the judge.

"Oh, you're right," the judge said. "This picture is very blurry."

| "Photo #2" has been submitted to the Court Record  
| A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:19pm.

I studied the photo closely as it was passed around to me. It was almost the same as the other one, only Shinji was in a different position and...aha! I smiled to myself. I understood why Rin didn't want this photo to be shown now.

* * *

Court Record

Attorney's badge: The badge that shows I can act as a defence lawyer.

Photo of Crime Scene (on phone) [ElNrdUh]

Photo of Black Key Handle (on phone) [Hu85d5k]

Passport: [yENGSXb] The victim's passport, used to identify her. According to this, her country of origin is Bulgaria and she arrived in Fuyuki at noon on 8th September.

Autospy report: Nadejda Bakhlov  
Time of death: 8th September, 4:00pm-4:20pm  
Cause of death: blood loss from a knife wound, the presence of magic was also found

Photo #1: [NC0YsDu] A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:21pm.

Photo #2: [U6Jubj1A] A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:19pm.


	7. 7- Day 2: Trial 1-3

_Welcome back to Why-Does-It-Take-Me-So-Long-To-Write-Not-Even-2000-Words?-This-Is-Why-I-Failed-NaNoWriMo-All-Those-Years-Back-Isn't-It?-Ha-Ha-Nah-I-Had-Two-Rather-Busy-Weekends-And-That's-My-Excuse-This-Time_

* * *

Rin looked rather uneasy. It was no wonder that she didn't want this picture to be revealed.

"Your Honour, there is a clear problem with the prosecution's argument!" I cried.

"Is that so?" the judge said. "Where is this problem, may I ask?"

"Please take a look at that second photo again."

He scrunched his eyes. "Yes? What I see is an incredibly blurry photo."

Err, that's not the point. "If you look carefully, you will be able to see that Shinji is holding a knife ..."

"That's right, because he is the murderer."

"...but if you look even closer, you will notice that the knife does not have any blood on it! May I remind you that this picture was taken after the murder took place!" I pointed my finger aggressively. "Therefore, there's no way it could have been the murder weapon! Shinji must have only happened to be holding the knife when he chanced upon the crime scene and dropped it in a moment of panic."

"Oh!" the judge exclaimed. "This certainly changes things!"

"Objection! Your argument is too flimsy!" Rin shouted, leaping up. "Whether there was blood on the knife or not in the photo doesn't matter! The defendant could have simply wiped it off!"

"Then why did Shinji bloody it again?" I raised my voice in protest. "And where did he wipe it on? It simply makes no sense!"

"He could have wiped it on something out of sight!" she refuted. "And then accidentally dropped it again! After all, he was probably panicking from realising that _he had just committed a murder_!"

I shook my head vehemently. "Besides, look at the amount of blood on the floor. Surely a small fruit knife couldn't cause that much bleeding. Tohsaka, are you sure you aren't actually mistaken about the identity of the murder weapon?"

She was taken aback. "What?"

"In fact, I have reason to believe that the victim, um, Nadia, wasn't just visiting to have a peaceful discussion." I reached to the bottom of my folder and took out a printout of a small red object. "I wish to present this to the court. Officer McRemitz should also be able to attest that this was found at the crime scene."

Eyes perked up around the room. I imagined most people here wouldn't have seen something like this before.

"And what is the significance of this item?" the judge asked.

"Well-"

"The picture here is a picture of a black key, a conceptual weapon used by members of the Church," Rin said, butting in. "Or more accurately, the handle of one. Magical energy is passed through it to manifest a blade. Typically the handles are carried around in large quantities for purposes of killing vampires and demons and the like."

"Wow, how knowledgeable!" the judge said. "A very thorough and concise answer!"

"Thank you." She bowed. "The Tohsaka family prides ourselves on having understanding on many different topics."

Ugh. I could have explained that just as well.

"It would be fair to assume that one who was in possession of such an item was Nadejda, would it not?" Rin said and twirled a strand of hair around with her finger. "Are you suggesting that she was in fact an Executor from the church and not a magus as was first thought?"

"Yes, I guess..." Alright, that thought hadn't actually occurred to me. "Since the blade disappears by itself, that could be the reason why it was not considered as a possible weapon."

"I see. After all, the Church is continually at odds with the Magus Association." The judge nodded. "Would the defence like to change their plea to self defence instead?"

Shinji was looking my way and mouthing something but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I paused. If I could argue that it was a justified self defence, Shinji wouldn't be guilty of murder. But...something didn't feel right. Should I change our plea?

.

\- Yes

\- No

.

* * *

.

\- Yes

 **\- No**

.

I shook my head. If what Shinji said was true, then it couldn't be possible that Nadejda did something like attack him. Rather, he entered the crime scene after the deed was done. There were still problems, like why he was holding the knife in the first place, but I absolutely refused to doubt his testimony.

"The defence will not be changing our plea," I said. "We will maintain our plea of not guilty."

There was a long wail of exasperation as Shinji gradually slunk to the floor.

"Oni-chan," Illya said and nudged me softly. "I hope you're not doing anything you're going to regret."

Rin was smiling rather smugly. "Well, it doesn't matter if you change your plea or not," she said. "The truth is, the investigation team noticed the black key as well, but we decided it had no effect on the case. In fact, there is _absolutely no possibility_ that the black key was used as the murder weapon."

The judge looked confused. "And why is this so?" he inquired.

"The reason is simple," she answered. "This black key is not the real thing, but an imitation made of wood."

What? Then, that was red herring?

"It's crafted very well, really, that it's indistinguishable from a real one from the outside. But I can confirm that this 'black key' has no magical or mystical properties to it. In order to be completely sure, I also contacted the Church and the Magus Association. It turns out Nadejda is actually part of the Magus Association and not connected to the Church at all." She crossed her arms. "Now, we're back where we were before, are we not? You were desperately and unsuccessfully trying to prove that Shinji was not the one that killed her."

Darn. Was this all that would happen, for everything I brought up to be swiftly disproven?

Rin was egging the judge on again. "Your Honour, you can see that the defence was clearly just trying to stall for time. Their arguments are –"

"Wait," I said. "You have stated that you had key evidence of the murder. Do you have any other proof that the murderer was definitely him?"

"Well, these photographs are certainly compelling, but the second, or rather, first one is enough to convince me that the knife may not have actually been the murder weapon," the judge said. Looks like he's finally willing to come around to my side.

Rin was frowning. She was probably expecting the judge to let her have her way again.

"Actually, I do have evidence," Rin said and rubbed her forehead. "There is one more witness, who saw the moment of the murder. However, he is not prepared to come forward immediately."

I was shocked. How could she was hiding something like this?

"Why didn't the prosecution bring him in earlier?" I demanded. "Surely someone who saw the crime personally is far better that somebody who only saw the aftermath."

She sighed. "The prosecution has our reasons. To put it simply, he isn't especially suitable because he might not be able to give a reliable testimony."

"My client has the right to a fair trial." I thumped my fist on the bench. "Please have this witness give his testimony in court, or else I cannot accept the guilty charge."

The judge nodded. "Court will now take a recess for the prosecution to prepare their witness."

He lowered the gavel sharply. Chatter filled the room as the audience filed out.

* * *

Court Record

Attorney's badge: The badge that shows I can act as a defence lawyer.

Photo of Crime Scene (on phone) [ElNrdUh]

Photo of Black Key Handle (on phone) [Hu85d5k]

Passport: [yENGSXb] The victim's passport, used to identify her. According to this, her country of origin is Bulgaria and she arrived in Fuyuki at noon on 8th September.

Autospy report: Nadejda Bakhlov  
Time of death: 8th September, 4:00pm-4:20pm  
Cause of death: blood loss from a knife wound, the presence of magic was also found

Photo #1: [NC0YsDu] A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:21pm.

Photo #2: [U6Jubj1A] A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:19pm.


	8. 8 - Day 2: Recess

_My excuse this time is that I've had to sort of rearrange my house._

* * *

 **Friday 10th September, 9:45am**

Shinji and I headed out to the defendant's lobby while Rin went her own way. Only when we were out of the courtroom could I relax again. I loosened my collar and stretched my arms. The time in there was almost as stressful as my final exam.

"Phew. That wasn't easy, but I think we're getting somewhere." I let out a deep breath. "Oh yeah, I thought I should ask you something. Shinji, were you telling me the complete truth when I was questioning you yesterday? You haven't left anything out?"

"Of course! Of course I didn't," Shinji said earnestly. "Why would I lie?"

"Well, there was that knife that I don't remember you mentioning-"

"Haha! Oopsies! I guess that must have slipped my mind because I was so nervous!" He laughed dryly and looked off to a side.

And yet that was the one thing that caused the most trouble for him. Still, it's good for him to be able to think back and laugh at his own mistakes.

"Is there anything else you might have left out, then?" I asked.

"Nnn." He scratched his cheek. "I really can't think of anything. I mean! I'm sure I just forgot to mention the knife, that's all!"

"Well, why were you holding that knife, anyway?"

Shinji froze for a second. "Uh, about that...ahahahaha..."

"Yes?" I looked at him with an expectant smile.

"...so you know how I said I was making tea? Well, the only tea bags I could find were closed and, well..."

I nodded for him to continue.

"...the white material was really difficult to rip open and I couldn't find any scissors, so..."

My face felt stiff from keeping my smile in place.

"...I was getting the knife to cut it open and forgot to put it down! That's all there is to it!"

I must have had quite an astonished expression at this point.

"What?"

"So, uh, you said you tried to open a teabag?"

"Yeah?"

"And this was your first time making tea?"

"Yeah? So what?"

"So you had the teabags...and you tried to tear them open?"

Shinji looked hurt. "What about it? I gotta get the tea leaves out to boil them, right?"

"No, don't worry," I said. "I'll explain later."

To think that Shinji basically set up the most blatant clue, all because he wanted to open a teabag. I mean, what kind of person wouldn't even be aware of that...I shook my head. No, I shouldn't judge him just because he was inexperienced in the kitchen. Each person has their own strengths and weaknesses, after all.

"Oof!" A high pitched voice squealed. "These aren't as soft as the ones at home."

I turned around. A young aristocrat had stretched herself out on the couch, taking up the whole space with her small body.

"Eh? Illya? How were you allowed in here?" I said.

"I'm your assistant, silly," Illya said with a pout. "Of course I can be in here."

"Sure..."

Yesterday I was just letting her play along and I thought she'd snuck up to the front for fun, but she's really serious about this?

"Now, I'm a bit worried about what Tohsaka is scheming. I just know she wasn't going to reveal that last witness if she didn't have to," she said. "Do you have any idea who it might be?"

Shinji made a face. "I don't know...but whoever it is, they must be lying! They're making a false accusation!"

I considered the residents of the house first. Saber said Sakura arrived at 4pm at my house to prepare dinner, so she had a solid alibi. Hmm, Rider? I couldn't help but think there was something weird about her. It was possible she was somewhere nearby, dematerialised. But then, Rin said it was a 'he', so surely it couldn't be her. That left Shinji's grandfather who Nadejda had come to visit, but I couldn't imagine him to be the kind of person who would accuse his own grandson.

"I don't think it's any of the people who live in the house," I said. "Maybe it was someone on the outside looking in? Just like the witness before."

"So then it could be anyone. We have absolutely no idea who it could be." Illya sighed. "Is there any other way you could try to convince the judge of his innocence? For example, Tohsaka seemed quite keen on exposing Shinji of some past crime."

I thought back to the beginning of the trial. "Oh, you mean the allegations of abuse and violence?"

"What she said isn't true!" Shinji cried, his hands gripping the side of my jacket. "It's definitely a misunderstanding! I'm not violent at all!"

Well, I actually had to take Rin's side on this.

"To be completely honest with you, I might partially believe that," I said, to Shinji's shock. "I recall in high school that you weren't exactly, err, nice to the other archery club members. I won't say that you went as far as bullying them, but clearly you had some issues with your temper."

"Why, you-"

A disappointed glare was enough for him to realise that he'd grabbed me quite strongly by the shoulder. He let go and stepped back.

"I mean, I'd never go that far!" he insisted. "I'd never hit someone, or bully them, or harass them...okay, _maybe, once in a while_ I'll lose my patience, but that's not the kind of person I am! I sweaaaar!"

But I was here to defend Shinji, not pile on more accusations. Sakura would always deny it when I brought this sort of thing up, so maybe it wasn't very serious.

"Alright, I'll trust you for now. We can have a talk about whether that's a problem we need to address later."

"Still, I think you could have an advantage over Rin because of this point," Illya said. "She might be more interested in emphasizing this to win over the judge's favour. Watch carefully and you could spot where she slips up."

That would depend on if she really was hiding something, though. Rin was always quick to refute what I said and she liked to keep things hidden for her own sake, but I didn't think she was a dishonest person. Surely she wouldn't be so adamant about Shinji being guilty if she didn't have a reason to believe so.

As Illya lounged around leisurely and Shinji wallowed in his own misfortune, I steeled myself again. I absolutely had to find out the truth and expose any lies this final witness had to tell.


	9. 9- Day 2: Trial 2-1

**Friday 10th September, 10:00am**

It was finally time for us to go back inside. Shinji held his head low as we were ushered back into the courtroom. Rin had also returned and stood behind her bench, arms crossed and a tight frown stretched across her face as she looked our way.

Thump! Thump! The judge banged his gavel, silencing the chatter across the room.

"Court shall now reconvene," he said in a ringing voice. "Has the prosecution prepared their witness?"

Rin cleared her throat. "Yes, Your Honour. This is the witness who personally saw the victim being attacked by the defendant. I would like to ask Matou Zouken to come to the stand!"

An elderly man, the very one I met just yesterday, was led up to the front by a bailiff. He wore a deep red kimono with a black hanten. Beside me, Shinji was visibly agitated.

"W-w-what? Grandfather?" he gasped. "How can this be?"

I was also finding this hard to believe. Why, Zouken would testify against his own grandson, knowing the gravity of the charges laid against him? Even if I saw my own family commit a crime, I wouldn't want them to be put in jail.

Upon hearing Shinji's voice, Zouken's expression turned bitter.

"Quiet, fool!" he sneered and directed an angry glare at Shinji. "You're an utter disgrace to the family, just like your father and his father before him!"

Your father and his father before him...but, doesn't that last one refer to himself?

"How annoying, forcing me to come out today," Zouken tutted. "I already told you I'm not willing to spare my precious time."

"I assure you, this is necessary and a legal requirement," Rin said. "Witness, state your name and profession."

Zouken cupped his ears. "Is my hearing failing me? Young lady, I didn't hear a please."

"O- _kay_." Rin tried to hide it, but even I noticed her hands ball up into fists. "Please, will you state your name and profession?"

"That's more like it," he said, his face finally turning pleasant. "My name is Matou Zouken. I was a practicing magus but am now officially retired."

"Now, Zouken," Rin said. "Please tell us about what you saw that day."

Zouken shuffled around the stand until he found a position for him to lean on it comfortably.

"Alright, I'll tell you what I saw," he said. "It was Wednesday afternoon. I was taking care of some personal business upstairs when I remembered that a guest was supposed to be arriving soon, so I headed down the stairs. Then, just as I arrived at the bottom, I saw the most terrible sight! My own grandson, stabbing a lady in the throat!"

There was a lull as the room waited for him to continue, but it was quickly apparent he had said all he wanted to say. Rin took the opportunity to wrap up his speaking.

"There we have it," she said. "This is our definite proof that Shinji was the culprit."

The judge nodded. "Very well. Defence, you may begin your cross examination."

I stared at Zouken, considering carefully. What he said was...way too short. There wasn't much I could conclude from it. But Rin may have instructed him not to say too much. I needed him to talk more, reveal more detail. Perhaps it'd help to start with getting a few things clarified.

"Witness, I have a question for you," I said. "What was this personal business that you were taking care of on the day of the crime?"

"Hmph," he said. "It doesn't matter what personal business I was busy with."

Rin shook her head. "Defence, that question is utterly irrelevant to the case. Please inquire about something else."

Well, that was a bad way to start the questioning. I probably should have chosen my next question first.

"Yes, yes, apologies," I said and bowed my head. "Um, can I ask what the purpose of the victim's visit was?"

"No, you may not." I see I shouldn't bother to ask permission with him. Even Rin didn't get the opportunity to object. "That's also none of your business to ask. It was solely between me and her and I will not grant you the privilege to know about it."

Ah, geez, I was really hoping this bad start wouldn't continue.

"Sorry again." I bowed a bit more deeply and prayed that he wasn't so offended that he would refuse to cooperate from now on. "I, uh, I thought that maybe it would give some relevant information."

After all, the victim might have actually had malicious intentions. But he wasn't going to oblige easily anyway.

Zouken clicked his tongue at me. "You drag me all the way out here when I'm supposed to be resting, and all I get are nosy lawyers trying to delve into my private life! This is almost as bad as those trials a decade or so ago!" He huffed, clearly indignant. "Look, boy, whatever transpired between me and the victim has nothing to do with my idiot grandson's decision to stab her in the throat!"

It was one bad turn after another. This definitely wasn't helping after the impression I made already yesterday.

"Quit avoiding the point," Illya elbowed me and hissed from her self-appointed position. "Tell him to talk more about what it was he saw."

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I was planning on getting to that.

"Ahem. Speaking of the murder," I said, "can you give me more detail about what you witnessed?"

"Okay, then," he said. "The fact is that I only witnessed the moment he stabbed her in the neck." He paused, as if uneasy about the memory. "I could even recognise the knife as the one that has prepared our meals all these years. After that, she fell, face-forward onto the ground. That was the only time I saw her that day."

"What did you do after that?" I asked. "Did you contact the police?"

"I was in too much shock," he said, shaking his head. "I never thought Shinji could go so far as to kill somebody. I suppose people from the Church aren't so insistent on self preservation if she couldn't defend herself from something like that. I returned to my room to calm down and soon the police arrived on their own."

It's amazing that somebody could say all that without a hint of shock in their voice. Wait, why did he say that bit in the middle?

"Huh. Do you mean to say that victim was from the Church?" I said. "I was under the impression that she is a magus."

"No, I'm sure she is employed under the Church," he said. "There are cases of people who use their magical ability within the Church, if that's what you are wondering."

"How are you so certain she is with the Church?"

"I've met her before, obviously," Zouken said. "I wouldn't invite somebody into my house if I thought they were fishy. Though I wouldn't have invited her at all if I knew this would happen."

So he is completely sure that his guest was someone connected to the Church. Then, was it possible that the victim was really different from whoever he was meant to meet?

"However," I said, "according to the prosecution's sources, the victim is not connected to the Church at all. Could it be that the victim was a different person to your guest?"

"No, I'm absolutely certain of it," he said. "After all, who couldn't recognise that face full of moles?"

I took a sharp breath in. Something was strange. The things he said didn't add up with the facts. Rin had her hand over her mouth, and I wondered if she realised the same thing as me.

I didn't want to offend him, but it could only mean one thing. Zouken must be lying about something, and I think it was intentional. But, the question was: why?

* * *

Court Record

Attorney's badge: The badge that shows I can act as a defence lawyer.

Photo of Crime Scene (on phone) [ElNrdUh]

Photo of Black Key Handle (on phone) [Hu85d5k]

Passport: [yENGSXb] The victim's passport, used to identify her. According to this, her country of origin is Bulgaria and she arrived in Fuyuki at noon on 8th September.

Autospy report: Nadejda Bakhlov  
Time of death: 8th September, 4:00pm-4:20pm  
Cause of death: blood loss from a knife wound, the presence of magic was also found

Photo #1: [NC0YsDu] A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:21pm.

Photo #2: [U6Jubj1A] A photo of the crime scene. It was taken by Kenji using his phone at 4:19pm.


	10. 10 - Day 2: Trial 2-2

I considered the evidence before me. If what I thought was right, then Zouken was hiding the truth. And it was up to me to expose him. I straightened my back and looked the judge in the eye.

"Your Honour," I said, hands on my hips. "I believe the witness is not telling the complete truth!"

"What? What a blatant accusation!" Zouken exclaimed.

"Defense!" the judge said. "Explain yourself!"

Rin didn't raise any objection. She stood, eyes furrowed, a hand leaning on her cheek. Maybe she was thinking about this point as well.

"Well, the witness said he didn't meet with the victim at all that day, apart from when he saw her at the moment of the crime," I said, "but I have reason to believe that he actually did so."

"And how is this so? I don't see any reason that this is the case."

"Allow me to remove any doubts, sir," I said confidently. "Zouken said he only witnessed the moment that the victim was stabbed and collapsed, and not a moment before. Yet he claims he saw her face! There is a clear contradiction here!"

"How is there a contradiction?" Zouken snapped. "You're just talking nonsense! Prosecutor lady, he's talking utter nonsense, isn't he?"

But there was no aid to come from Rin, who remained with her mouth in a closed frown.

"The reason is simple," I said. "Because, there was no way the witness could have seen her face! Please take a look at this!"

At this moment, I was glad that incriminating photo had been taken, or else I would only have the chalk outline to go by. I held it up for the whole room to see.

"As you can see, the victim fell down while she was facing the window, meaning her back was toward the study door! Therefore, you should not have been able to see her face if you only arrived at that moment!"

"Nnngh."

Zouken drummed his fingers nervously. I must be getting to him. But that wasn't the end to my ammunition.

"Not only that, I have further reason to believe that the witness met with the victim prior to the murder. In fact, I think I know why he thought she was actually from the Church." I held up the picture of the black key handle. "As we are aware, the victim was in possession of this item, which is used by those from the Church, but this is a fake. Even so, the sight of this alone should be enough to convince anyone of the implications."

"Ack!"

Zouken doubled over, his face twitching as he leaned heavily onto the stand. I folded my arms, triumphant. Now if the judge could demand him to speak the truth-

"...ehehehehe..."

The scowl on his face swiftly disappeared as he lifted himself back up, laughing.

"...ahahahahahaha! How amusing! How utterly amusing!" he cried. "You think you've won because you caught me on some insignificant point!"

What? What did he find so funny?

"You must forgive me," he continued. "Memory gets a little fuzzy with age, after all. I simply recounted a slightly incorrect version of the events, but I remember what really happened now.

"I actually saw the victim from the window of the second floor as she was coming. That is why I was so sure of her identity. As for why I thought she was from the Church, she must have lied the last time I met her."

I gaped. I mean, seriously? I bet he must have made that up just now.

"Hmm." The judge nodded. "I see no reason to doubt the witness's testimony."

"So, what will it be boy?" Zouken said mockingly. "Will you give up? Or are you going to try to pick out another problem out for me?"

But...I didn't have any way to prove what he said was wrong.

"Then, has the prosecution made sure that the witness's eyesight can be trusted?" I protested. "Can you be absolutely sure that it was Shinji and not a, uh, different blue haired person?"

Zouken shook his head. "Fool. Do you think I cannot recognise my own grandson?"

Darn. I was really grasping at straws at this point. Had my approach been wrong from the beginning, to tear down the prosecution's argument? Ugh, if only I had more time to figure something out...

"Honestly, Makiri, I'm disappointed."

...huh? Was Illya talking to me?

Her voice was barely above a whisper, only just audible to me. And I would have thought nobody else could hear if I didn't notice the way Zouken suddenly froze.

"The police only analysed the wound on the surface, but shall I tell them about the worms in her bloodstream?" she said softly, staring steadily ahead with her keen red eyes. "They must still be squirming deep inside her veins, even now as we speak."

I couldn't figure out what she was talking about, but evidently this was something between Zouken and her, as he turned visibly pale.

"How...how do you..." he murmured. "...No, who are you...Justeaze...?"

I saw some curious glances from around the room. This display probably looked strange to everyone else, with Zouken seemingly responding to a figment of his imagination.

Illya was not finished speaking.

"How far you have fallen. Only seeking the furtherance of your own life, you have allowed your soul to decay."

"...no...no, Justeaze...it wasn't my fault...Sh-she threatened me first!" Lacking hair, Zouken grasped at his scalp. "Please don't...please don't look at me with those eyes..."

"You have forgotten that dream a long time ago. The dream we once sought, together." Illya smiled bitterly. "What...what is it you seek anymore?"

Zouken was breathing heavily. He staggered, falling onto a bailiff who had rushed ahead to support him just in time. His eyes didn't seem to be seeing the rest of the room anymore.

"...it's not fair, it's not fair...it wasn't my fault!" he screamed at nobody. "I had no choice! I had to silence her! Just, please, don't look at me with those eyes, Justeaaaaaaze!"

Not a word was spoken as we watched Zouken's mental breakdown in stunned silence. He curled up into himself, dissolving into a bout of manic sobbing. Rin glanced about herself nervously , not sure how she should react to the outbursts of her own witness.

That abrupt confession came as a surprise to me. How...I never thought a witness could be the actual murderer. Beside me, Shinji was shivering lightly. What could be going through his and Sakura's minds after seeing this?

Thump! Thump!

The judge decided it was time to proceed at long last, breaking everybody out of their daze.

"Prosecution!" he said. "Do you have anything to say for your witness?"

Rin snapped to attention.

"Yes! I mean, no!" she said. "This is the first I have heard of this. But, um, you can see the witness is not in a sound state of mind! We cannot determine right now if he really committed a murder."

"But, Your Honour," I cried. "The witness has clearly just confessed to the crime! Whether he is guilty of murder or not can be decided in a separate trial. My defendant, on the other hand, has had false witness borne against him."

"Very well." The judge nodded. "Alright then, I've heard enough. I now pronounce the defendant NOT GUILTY."

With that, he lowered his gavel sharply one last time.

* * *

Okay, I'm promising not to do forced/accidental confessions anymore.

Next up: conclusion and a brief teaser for the next part. I hope to introduce more of the overarching plot soon.


	11. 11- Conclusion

The courtroom gradually emptied, with people chatting casually among themselves as they walked out. Archer tried to approach Rin as she passed but she shoved him off. I guess she didn't take well to losing, even if she turned out to be on the wrong side this time.

As for me, I had too many papers lying around to leave immediately. Shinji seemed to want me to linger longer from the way he was hindering me from doing anything.

"Shirou, support me!" he said, leaning heavily onto my shoulder. "I'm so sad my grandfather would accuse _me_ , his direct heir! It was only a miracle I was spared!"

I couldn't argue with him there. I didn't know how I would clear his name if it weren't for Illya. Come to think of it, what was Illya talking about?

"Hey, um, Illya," I said. "What were you saying back then?"

She looked up two bright eyes, the grave look from before completely gone from her face.

"Eh, oni-chan?" she said. "What did I say?"

"You were talking about something strange with Zouken. What was that about?"

She tilted her head and gave a small frown. "Hmm? Zouken? Has the trial ended already?"

So she didn't remember anything she said? Or, could it be...

"Oh, never mind," I said. Maybe I just imagined it.

The judge's robes swished as he took a step down. He looked my way with a smile on his face.

"Well, good job, Emiya," he said warmly. "I'm wondering, just how did you get him to confess like that?"

I shook my head. "Um, it wasn't really me. I guess the guilt was too overwhelming for him?"

"It was still well done for your first trial. I guess I was too quick to assume you were the same as your father."

"It's alright, A-a-archi...sir," I said. "Don't worry about it."

"Just call me Kayneth, no need to be formal," he said, slapping a hand on my free shoulder. "Well, the truth was I never knew your father when he was in the courtroom. I've only met him on the battlefield. It brings the worst of us out, after all." He gave a light chuckle. "Now, I'm surprised I never noticed somebody like you in my classes. Were you one of those mysterious long distance students at the Clocktower?"

"Oh, oh no," I said. "I did my law degree at Osaka University."

The judge raised an eyebrow. "Osaka? Wait, that isn't-"

But he wasn't given the opportunity to finish his sentence, as Sakura ran up and snatched me away.

"Senpai!" she said, wrapping me in a tight hug. "Thank goodness!"

"Wahhhh!" Illya cried and clung to my waist. "Don't hog my oni-chan all to yourself!"

Shinji awkwardly joined the hug as well, placing his hands around me and Sakura's shoulders. "Yes, thank you, Shirou. I'm forever in your debt."

In the sudden that I was engulfed by this small crowd, I lost my balance and staggered, but they held me fast, refusing to let me fall.

But, this pair of siblings sure went through a lot these few days. Even if I had relieved them of one problem, they must be filled with worry about the new one.

"Sakura," I said, concerned. "I'm so sorry that your brother was found not guilty, only for your grandfather to be found guilty instead."

To my surprise, she gave a me a sincere smile.

"No, that's okay," she said. "I mean, his own lawyer will vouch for him, so I don't think he'll end up going to prison. It'll be good if he was put away forever in a mental institution. I mean, get proper professional care if he really has serious mental problems."

That makes sense. And since she'll be qualified as a nurse soon, she could take care of him as well. Looks like everything works out.

From the centre of the tangle of arms, there was sudden loud grumble.

"Shinji!" Sakura scolded. "Why do you have to be like this?"

"No, no, that was my stomach," I said sheepishly. "I was so nervous this morning, I couldn't get much down."

"Well then, why don't we go out to eat together?" Sakura suggested. "We could go to that place close to where Shinji works. Our treat!"

"What? No way! That place is expensive!" Shinji cried. "Even I don't go there unless it's on someone else's dime!"

Sakura and Shinji finally broke off me and continued their friendly argument about where we should for lunch. My lips couldn't help curving upward. Shinji didn't have to worry about a future of being locked away anymore, and Sakura could smile so brightly again. The feeling of having accomplished something to make somebody's life better was a reward in itself.

All in all, this was certainly an unexpected day. Not only did I have my first case in a court that was in no way my area of expertise, but I also went up against an old classmate. I felt like an immense burden was lifted off my shoulders now that it was over.

Well, as a lawyer, I'd have to be ready to face all sorts of stressful situations. People wronged by the law, people unjustly accused, it would be up to me to work on their behalf. But one thing for sure, if something like this ever cropped up again, I definitely wouldn't volunteer so easily. I think.

* * *

And I'm finally done with the first part! Giving myself weekly deadlines _kind of_ worked at forcing me to write. Even if I usually didn't make it. Even though its hardly any writing at all. lol

Okay it did mean I ended up skipping a few crucial planning stages. Which means I feel like some chapters were done badly. Just ignore me whenever I start to talk myself down.

Well, time to get to actually planning the plot to the next part. Expect a silence for between 3 to 20 months, assuming nothing drastic happens to me. Or I get a bright idea for another project.

(I've also updated this on ao3 if you want to see my basic line drawings in all their glory. Or just better looking formatting.)

Anyway, when I was initially planning this out, I thought I could get away with making all the murder victims new characters so I didn't have to kill anyone existing. Create a bus load of visiting magi and there's our next victim. I should just do that right?

Hahahaha

Hahahahahahahahahaha

No.

* * *

 **? ? ? ?**

 _no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,_

 _it can't be, it can't be, it can't be, this can't be happening_

She bent over his body, lying cold and unmoving on the ground, a hole in his chest. Whispering ancient words of power, she tried to close the wound, restore his pulse, anything...

 _it's wrong, this is wrong, everything is wrong_

 _he should look peaceful, like he's deep in sleep, like he's only dreaming, because that's the only way I can pretend that he's not really gone_

...But it was useless. The light had long faded from his dim eyes, the last of his breath already departed. There was nothing to bring back anymore.

Perhaps if she had been summoned as her younger self, maybe then she could give him new life, just as she had falsely promised to do so many thousands of years ago. If only, if only...

 _why, why, why did it have to be him_

 _he's not the one who deserved this, if I could have taken his place, if only he didn't have to_

She finally lowered her arm, giving up. He was gone, gone forever, and it was futile to act like it was otherwise the case. She should know better, as a magus, than to waste energy on this.

Still, it had been a good couple of years, probably far longer than she deserved. There was finally someone who treated her kindly, and that was enough to satisfy her. It was simply too much to expect things to continue like this forever, even just for a little while longer.

 _I wish we had a little longer_

A piercing scream ripped through the quiet of the night. The commotion outside grew louder as people came running. Bowing her head, she let out a sigh of resignation.

It was almost funny; even at this point, the tears refused to come. Of course it would end this way, with the only one that truly loved her snatched away, taken unfairly before his time.

After all, this was Fate.


End file.
